Following a special meeting about the proposed Fox Cities Exhibition Center, the Community and Economic Development Committee has released a detailed question and answer document covering questions raised at the meeting.

The City of Appleton’s Annual Action Plan as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), stipulated in the Code of Federal Regulations 24 CFR 91.220 will be available starting March 6, 2015. The Annual Action Plan lists the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) activities the City of Appleton will undertake in program year 2015 (4/1/2015 – 3/31/2016) to address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan for 2015-2019.

The general public has a period of 30 days – March 6, 2015 to April 5, 2015 – to offer comments on the proposed submission. Written comments may be submitted via email to roxann.schmidt@appleton.org or via U.S. Mail to: City of Appleton – Community and Economic Development Department; 100 North Appleton Street; Appleton, WI 54911.

In addition, public comments on the plan can be offered at a public hearing that will be held at a regularly scheduled Community and Economic Development Committee (CEDC) meeting on Monday, March 23, 2015, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Sixth Floor Council Chambers of Appleton City Hall, 100 N. Appleton Street, Appleton, WI.

The City shall consider all public input received before preparing its final submission, in addition to providing HUD with a summary of such comments as they relate to the 2015 Annual Action Plan. Interested parties can view the Plan starting March 6, 2015, at the following locations: City of Appleton Community and Economic Development Department on the Fifth Floor of City Hall, 100 N. Appleton Street; or at www.appleton.org.

If you have interest in learning more about the proposed downtown exhibition center project or have questions you would like answered, plan to attend a special meeting of the Community and Economic Development Committee next Monday at 6 p.m.

While no measles cases have been reported in Wisconsin so far, the City of Appleton Health Department and local healthcare providers are doing what they can to make sure the community is informed and prepared.

Captain Freeman has been with the Appleton Police Department since 2000. He was one of the first Appleton Police Department officers to attend CIT training in October of 2004. Captain Freeman represents one of 50 officers from the Appleton Police Department trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness. The training also provides skill training to help officers de-escalate crisis situations.

In addition to his continued advocacy of the training, Captain Freeman has been a member of the advisory board for the NAMI Fox Valley Peer Run Respite and serves on the planning team for the Outagamie County Mental Health Court. The court has been operational since 2012.

The Appleton Police Department congratulates Captain Freeman on the award.

If you would like further information please contact Sgt. Lund at (920)832-5509.

The public is invited to the upcoming swearing-in ceremony for Chief of Police Todd L. Thomas. The event, being held in the lower level public room of the Appleton Police Department, will take place on Monday, January 5, 2015, at 8:30 AM.

Chief Thomas was born and raised in Appleton. While attending college, he served as a Community Service Officer (CSO) with the Appleton Police Department between 1985 and 1986.

Chief Thomas has most recently been serving as the Captain of the Investigative Services Unit of the Green Bay Police Department. He has over 27 years of law enforcement experience. Thomas, a former Officer of the Year with the Green Bay Police Department, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Chief Thomas replaces Chief Peter J. Helein who retired on September 5, 2014. Chief James M. Lewis has been serving in the interim.

If you would like further information please contact Sgt. Lund at (920)832-5509.

Starting Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles will begin mailing renewals for vehicles with registrations expiring in February, the first month the newly enacted $20 wheel tax in Appleton will be charged.

Since the Common Council approved a wheel tax September 3, many questions have arisen as to who the tax will apply to and how it will be administered. Here are a number of questions and answers that have been posed to city staff.

The third annual American Society of Golf Course Architects Design Excellence Recognition Program recipients have been named. Projects from 12 courses in the United States and Asia have been cited for their work with ASGCA members in addressing unique design challenges.

After considering the idea for more than a month, Wednesday night the Common Council could vote on whether or not to adopt a wheel tax to replace part of the city's long-standing special assessment policy.

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna, Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels and De Pere Mayor Michael Walsh are inviting the community to join them to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at the Appleton Farm Market Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. in Houdini Plaza.

Appleton's Finance Committee approved a resolution Wednesday to adopt a wheel tax in lieu of a decades old portion of the special assessment policy that charged homeowners for part of the cost to reconstruct city streets.

Please Note: Currently this online Fire Permit application is compatible on computers with the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser.

You can also apply for the outdoor firepit permit using the Google Chrome browser, however you will need to install the IE Tab extension for the Chrome browser and open the permit with the IE Tab enabled. The IE Tab can be found by clicking here.

Valley Transit will continue its policy of “Weapons of any kind, including firearms or knives, are prohibited, unless carried on board by a law enforcement officer" on Valley Transit buses, in bus shelters and in transfer centers as listed under "Rules of the Road" on the Rider's Guide and at this link.

This policy was reaffirmed by the Fox Cities Transit Commission on October 26, 2011.

Reminder: Rummage sale signs cannot be placed in the terrace. Signs are prohibited on the terrace or anywhere else in the public right-of-way. Signs, handbills, posters or notices may not be placed on traffic control boxes, traffic signs, utility poles, or traffic control support structures. See Municipal Code §§23-505 and 23-507.